This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 2002-42768, filed Jul. 20, 2002, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bread maker having a barcode reader.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a bread maker automatically performs kneading, leavening and baking of dough, and provides fresh bread to a user, so that the user just places raw materials (ingredients) in the bread maker. Various bread makers have been developed.
For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a bread maker disclosed in Korean Patent Application No. 2000-86022 includes a main body 100 divided into an oven compartment 102 and a component compartment 106 accommodating a plurality of electric components, a door 103 opening and closing the oven compartment 102, rotatable knobs 105 in the front of the component compartment 106 allowing a user to control the bread maker, and a display panel 107 displaying an operating state of the bread maker. On a rear wall of the oven compartment 102 and inside the door 103 are heaters 112 for heating the inside of the oven compartment 102. Inside the oven compartment 102 is a baking tray 109 for containing the dough therein.
Inside the oven compartment 102, upper and lower kneading drums 104 and 119 are provided in parallel, each having a plurality of projections 116 and 118 used to attach to opposite ends of a mixing bag (not shown) filled with raw materials for the bread.
Behind the upper kneading drum 104 is a barcode reader 120 protruding inwardly from the rear wall of the oven compartment 102 that reads a barcode printed on the mixing bag. The mixing bag connects to the projections 116 and 118 of the upper and lower kneading drums 104 and 119, and is wound on the upper and lower kneading drums 104 and 119. The barcode reader 120 is a pen type of barcode reader, and is moved across the barcode, thereby reading information represented by the barcode.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the barcode reader 120 in FIG. 5. As shown therein, the barcode reader 120 includes an optical sensor 121 scanning the barcode, and a sensor body 122 movably accommodating a part of the optical sensor 121 therein and supporting the optical sensor 121. Inside the sensor body 122 is a spring (not shown) elastically pushing the optical sensor 121 to contact the upper kneading drum 104.
The barcode reader 120 is supported by a reader supporting member 123 that includes a supporting lever 124 extending from the sensor body 122 to support the barcode reader 120, and a slider 125 that extends toward the door 103 and is perpendicularly coupled to the supporting lever 124. A spring support 127 is partially formed on a part of the slider 125, and a rear end of the slider 125 is slidingly coupled with a stopper 128. A compression spring 126 is placed on the slider 125 between the spring support 127 and the stopper 128 and is prevented from breaking away from the slider 125 by the spring support 127 and the stopper 128.
The stopper 128 is fastened to the rear wall of the oven compartment 102, so that the compression spring 126 provided between the spring support 127 and the stopper 128 elastically pushes the slider 125 toward the door 103.
At a front part of the component compartment 106 adjacent to the door 103 when closed, is a slider hole 130 through which the slider 125 of the barcode reader supporting member 123 passes. On the rear wall of the oven compartment 102 is a barcode reader hole (not shown). Inside the component compartment 106 is a slider guiding part (not shown) for guiding a sliding movement of the slider 125.
In the conventional bread maker, as the door 103 is opened and closed, the slider 125 forwardly and backwardly moves inside the component compartment 106, thereby moving the barcode reader 120. However, because the slider 125 is in contact with the slider hole 130 of the main body 100 and moves inside the component compartment 106, a complicated inner-structure of the component compartment 106 may interfere with the sliding movement of the slider 125. Further, because a part of the optical sensor 121 and the spring (not shown) inside the sensor body 122 are movably accommodated in the sensor body 122, the sensor body 122 may interfere with the contacting movement of the optical sensor 121, so that the barcode reader 120 cannot scan the barcode smoothly.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bread maker in which a barcode reader can smoothly move across and scan a barcode.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
To achieve the above and other objects according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a bread maker having a main body forming an oven compartment, a door opening and closing the oven compartment, a pair of parallel kneading drums inside the oven compartment on which opposite ends of a mixing bag filled with bread ingredients are respectively attached, a barcode reader to read a barcode printed on the mixing bag, a hinge supporting part attached to a rear wall of the oven compartment, and a reader holder inside the main body. The reader holder includes a holder body, a sensing lever adjacent to one of the kneading drums and having one end connected to one end of the holder body and the other end protruding from the main body towards the door, the sensing lever being pushed back by the door when the door is closed and moving towards a front of the main body when the door is opened, a hinge part at the other end of the holder body and rotatably connected to the hinge supporting part, and a reader supporting part extending from the holder body towards the door and supporting the barcode reader, wherein the barcode reader moves into a reading position near the adjacent kneading drum when the door is opened and moves into a releasing position distant from the adjacent kneading drum when the door is closed.
The bread maker further includes a spring member elastically pushing the reader holder toward the reading position.
The spring member is an extension spring having a first end, distant from the hinge supporting part, coupled to the reader holder, and a second end coupled to the hinge supporting part.
The hinge supporting part includes a hinge pin combined with the hinge part of the reader holder, and hinge arms rotatably supporting each end of the hinge pin.
To achieve the above and other objects according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a barcode reader holder for a bread maker having a main body forming an oven compartment, a door opening and closing the oven compartment, a pair of parallel kneading drums inside the oven compartment on which opposite ends of a mixing bag filled with bread ingredients are respectively attached, and a barcode reader to read a barcode printed on the mixing bag, including a holder body; a hinge supporting part attached to a rear wall of the oven compartment; a sensing lever adjacent to one of the kneading drums and having one end connected to one end of the holder body and the other end protruding from the main body towards the door, the sensing lever being pushed back by the door when the door is closed and moving towards a front of the main body when the door is opened; a hinge part combined with the other end of the holder body and rotatably connected to the hinge supporting part; and a reader supporting part extending from the holder body towards the door and supporting the barcode reader, wherein the barcode reader moves into a reading position near the adjacent kneading drum when the door is opened and moves into a releasing position distant from the adjacent kneading drum when the door is closed.
To achieve the above and other objects according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a barcode reader assembly for a bread maker having a main body forming an oven compartment, a door opening and closing the oven compartment, a pair of parallel kneading drums inside the oven compartment on which opposite ends of a mixing bag filled with bread ingredients are respectively attached, and a barcode reader to read a barcode printed on the mixing bag, including a holder body; a hinge supporting part attached to a rear wall of the oven compartment; a sensing lever adjacent to one of the kneading drums and having one end connected to one end of the holder body and the other end protruding from the main body towards the door, the sensing lever being pushed back by the door when the door is closed and moving towards a front of the main body when the door is opened; a hinge part combined with the other end of the holder body and rotatably connected to the hinge supporting part; a reader supporting part extending from the holder body towards the door and supporting the barcode reader; and an elastic member having a first end coupled to the reader holder and a second end coupled to the hinge supporting part, the elastic member elastically pushing the reader holder towards the adjacent kneading drum when the door is opened, wherein the barcode reader moves into a reading position near the adjacent kneading drum when the door is opened and moves into a releasing position distant from the adjacent kneading drum when the door is closed.